Project Type: Social Issues

Being a Spark

For nearly 30 years, Marian Elby has been a regular visitor at central Pennsylvania prisons.

“People need someone,” said Elby, 77. “Ever since I was little, I had a heart for those who didn’t have.” Continue reading Being a Spark

Monumental Issues

Thirty armed militia members started walking down a hill, across the Gettysburg Battlefield, toward him.

It was the 4th of July, and it was the first time all day that Scott Hancock felt his heart beating out of his chest. Continue reading Monumental Issues

Goodwill to All

Rick Hill thought he’d be playing golf every day, enjoying retirement.

“I was incredibly bored, and my wife said, ‘You might as well get another job,’” said Hill. “The stars aligned… I was introduced to Goodwill and its mission, and at that point I knew I didn’t want to do anything else but work for Goodwill the rest of my life.” Continue reading Goodwill to All

Pandemic Pinch

Janice Black was in a unique position to recognize the scope of the COVID-19 crisis—and to do something about it.

The 25-year president and CEO of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) also has a background in healthcare and nursing. Continue reading Pandemic Pinch

Hunger Pains

Cereal, peanut butter, pasta, sauce and other essential household staples are inside the brown cardboard emergency food boxes.

But it’s innovative “outside-the-box” thinking and “extremely generous” acts of charity that are powering and placing the ingredients inside. Continue reading Hunger Pains

A Voice for the Ages

David W. Blight wrote his first book about Frederick Douglass 30 years ago and never dreamed there would be another—let alone a full biography. However, “some lives are, in a way, made for biography,” Blight said during a recent interview. Continue reading A Voice for the Ages

I’ll Be Your Voice

Eight-year old Alexi is hiding in a closet with his younger brother.

It’s a game they often play called “invisibility cloak” because, as Alexi says, “Being invisible is the best superpower.”

But the real story is that their mother locked them in the closet for their own safety. Ultimately, domestic violence drove them into homelessness. Continue reading I’ll Be Your Voice

Forging a Path

Anastasia Joy* calls it the skeleton in her closet.

“I didn’t tell anyone about that part of my life until the FBI got involved,” said the 25-year-old Harrisburg-area resident. Continue reading Forging a Path

Changing the Game

Loretta Claiborne didn’t walk or talk until the age of 4.

Born partially blind with intellectual disabilities in 1953, Claiborne was one of seven children raised in York by a single mother. Public school brought bullying, name-calling, anger and fighting.

The odds were against her. Sports, however, transformed her life. Continue reading Changing the Game

Plant Powered

How do you choose the food you eat? It may sound like a simple question, but how often do you truly evaluate your nutritional choices and diet? We talked to a number of Susquehanna Valley residents, including health and wellness professionals, who made significant changes by switching to vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based diets and lifestyles. Their anecdotes and results may surprise you. Continue reading Plant Powered

Churches on a Mission

During a 2001 leadership class at Freedom Valley Worship Center, Pastor Gerry Stoltzfoos asked participants to dream, to think about what they would be doing in their lives to minister to
others if money were no object. Brandy Crago responded with an answer—therapeutic horse riding—and Stoltzfoos quickly offered her the use of the land surrounding the church, setting her
dream into motion. Continue reading Churches on a Mission